ALPINE AND EARTHQUAKE
nerdy!yunho
earthbender!yunho
earthbender!reader
fem!reader
disciplinary guard!toji
earthbender!toji
WORD COUNT: 8100
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER ITSELF ONLY HAS LARGE AMOUNTS OF SEXUAL TENSION, NOT EXPLICIT SMUT, IM NOT FALSELY ADVERTISING SO I DONT WANT SLANDER, THE SMUT IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER OK BYE
reader x toji x yunho
tags: smut, plot and you'll enjoy the smut more with it, lots of geology metaphors, magic system but its not important, rawdogging, yearning yunho, toji is a warning on his own, delinquent reader, shes kind of OP, random ateez cameos, evil san, evil mingi, evil wooyoung, chaotic y/n whos a menace to men
first meet
the library was the first place y/n went once she settled in at the dorm of west cape, the all-element bending school. she found it ghostily empty with only two people on the ground floor, no one at reception. she climbed over the barricade and looked up, seeing a maroon spiral staircase that went all the way up to the glass dome. she walked up, and as she did she passed faculty floors on the way.
she stopped when she found one for the Earth Sciences. this was where she needed to be she assumed. well one of the places. she walked in, the rows of books calling to her. there were long tables separating the rows, and the librarian was gone too. she picked out a random fat book called Creation of Earth Quakes Through Earth Manipulation. that sounded dangerous. she slid her butt on the desk and crossed her legs, swinging them as she held the book open with one hand.
Earth Mages have the responsibility to restore the earth to its previous positioning after manipulation. It is the most important principle of sorcery, to not exacerbate the core source of our discipline.
"strong opening," she muttered to herself. then she found herself craving a cigarette. fucking hell after she walked all the way up here? that was her own fault.
she sighed, lowering the book to her lap for a second and looked around. there were cameras, but she didnt see a light on. there were also smoke detectors above each row of shelves. this was too much effort.
"what are you doing here?" a man's voice suddenly asked. she turned and saw a tall man with black hair and silver, hexagon shaped glasses. he wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants. he looked like a detective, but his face was young. he had stress in those dark eyes of his.
"the library is closed," he said, his voice firm. y/n uncrossed her legs and tilted her head at him.
"youre here," she said. the man furrowed his brows.
"yeah, so no one else can be here either," he said, sounding annoyed now.
his outfit wasnt the kind a security would wear. and he didnt look like he had the experience to be a librarian.
"wheres the librarian?" she asked.
"out. didnt you hear me? its closed."
so he wasnt the librarian then. no one with power anyway.
"whats your name?" y/n asked with a smile. the man shifted suddenly, surprised she would ask him that. what was she playing at?
"yunho...thats none of your business," he said. "you need to leave."
"okay, but then you'll leave with me."
"what?" he scoffed. "i cant...im watching the floor."
"no youre not," y/n rolled her eyes. "no one knows youre here either. you just want to get rid of me to have the floor for yourself. one person's not suspicious in a closed library, but two is. and youre a man...and im a woman..."
she trailed off with a smile, making yunho scowl. "i know how it looks. but mr yunho...im just here to pass the time and get a good start to the semester. so leave me alone? and i'll leave you?"
he was unsettled with how she said it in a sweet way, the tone didnt match her words at all. yunho's face went red. just who was this girl? and why did she read him like that? her eyes returned to her book, and she started to read like he was never there. yunho failed to leave too.
"whats your last name?" he asked after moments of silence. "youre a transfer...right?"
"on paper yeah," she answered. he was suddenly curious about her. "its ford."
yunhoo raised his brows. he knew that last name, most people did, but they never thought they'd hear it again.
"your grandfather was neil ford, right?" he guessed. "he left High Society fifteen years ago. now its good enough for him again?"
"not good enough for him," she said and licked the tip of her finger, then paged. "but for his granddaughters. we all failed at the real world, you see?"
yunho straightened himself, and he found himself curious to hear the next thing that would come out of her mouth. she moved so...deliberately.
"i was supposed to be some big shot prosecutor. but i was never good enough. its hard to be someone special...when everyones special. maybe here, it'll be different," y/n said absentmindedly.
yunho smiled, but it wasnt a kind one. it was the sort of smile that was holding back an even colder laugh. "its not different. its even worse. youre nobody, you dont have a rank."
y/n's eyes drifted to him and she smiled again, making yunho rub his forearm with his hand. "do you?" she asked.
"of course," he said as if it was obvious. "im a 4th Grade Earth Mage. but you wouldnt know what that means."
"i guess i'll find out when i take it away from you," she muttered, putting down the book and closing it.
"what?" yunho said with a confused face. y/n threw a smile over her shoulder. he was kind of hot, in a very no nonsense way. he wasnt trying to be, he just was. he wasnt the kind of irritating reactive, he spoke as if everything he said was certain.
"just a joke," she said, raising her shoulders and picking her book up. "im bored now, so im gonna go put this back."
yunho stood, shoving his hands in his pockets. amara put the book back in its empty shadow.
"you didnt tell me your name," he said suddenly. as if he was entitled to it. amara started walking away.
"dont have to," she said without looking back. and yunho watched her leave.
***
second meet
y/n had always had a problem with men. even since high school. having problems with women were fine, you'd just dislike each other and there'd be a level of slight animosity, but for the most part, you could ignore it. but with men? its like they made it a point to make whatever problem they had with her, active instead of passive.
they always had to start shit. and when she ended it, she looked like the problem. so y/n stopped caring about what she looked like. guys thought it was fun to mess with her because she got ragebaited really easily. y/n made it a point to never give them the reaction they wanted. but they knew she would resort to that.
so everytime they pushed it...too far.
looks like this year, there'd be more than one of that.
there was something about that goddamn disciplinary guard that irked her entire soul. toji fushiguro was a godtier earthbender but such an awful, irritable man. she loathed running into him in the halls, hearing how he extorted students just because he ran the academy. it irritated her as long as she knew about him, and everyone had warned her to not get on his bad side. because you'd become the butt of a long running joke only he'd find funny in the end.
there were few people in the library, people werent ready to lock in from the very start. they wanted some freedom before they needed to get serious. y/n walked up to earth sciences, and there were only two other people. one of them was yunho. y/n gave him one glance and kept walking, but yunho's eyes stayed on her, completely trained through his glasses.
she walked right to the book she was looking at last time. but the shelf was empty. y/n took a deep breath and walked up to the librarian.
"evening. did someone take out Creating Earthquakes Through Earth Manipulation?" she asked.
the librarian, a pretty woman with a long dark brown hair and stereotypical librarian glasses looked at her logs, humming slightly. "uh huh. it was taken out today. oh, jeong yunho has it, you'll have to wait till he returns it."
was she allowed to give out the name? oh well, that name sounded familiar. y/n smiled briefly and walked back, and yunho quickly returned his eyes to his book when he heard amara approaching.
she took a seat right next to him, throwing her bag to the floor and leaning her arm on the neck of the chair as she looked at him. "hey yunho."
"what is it?" he muttered. y/n found it amusing.
"you have the book i was reading last time," she said. "are you using it right now?"
"no. but i will."
"can i read it until then? i'll give it back."
yunho put down the book he was reading and turned to look at her. y/n was now wearing a black skirt and green jersey with a goldfish on it, with the shoulders loose. her shoulder was exposed, revealing a sun tattoo.
"its not for your level," he told her. "youre not going to understand it, so whats the point of you reading it?"
y/n smiled, her jaw tensing again. when the fuck did she ask him to speak so much. "dont worry about what i can or cant understand," she said sweetly. "can i use it while youre still here?"
if he lets me ask again i'll fucking flip.
yunho cleared his throat, reaching into his bag. he pulled out the giant book, holding it with one hand. it made his forearms flex. he was about to give it to yunho, but pulled it away just as she was about to touch it. she gave him a warning look. today was not the day to mess with her, seriously.
"tell me your name, and i'll give you the book." yunho said. y/n cocked her head at him.
junseo knew there were two fords. he just wanted to know which one she was.
"y/n," she gave in. "you wanted to know me that bad?"
yunho gave a tight smile of his own. "i just dont like when interactions end on terms that arent mine. last time, you didnt tell me your name and got the last word. that irritated me."
he slid the book over to her and looked away after saying that. y/n stared at him, thinking a bit too hard. he had a pleasant face. the kind where everything just made sense. his exhausted and judgmental eyes. his neat and fluffy hair. the fact that he looked like he just barged out of a business meeting because there was no ac. he had such a punchable face too, just her type.
"why arent you reading?" yunho interrupted her visual analysis, without even turning to look at her. she smiled to herself, he was proving to be not boring at all.
y/n took the book and stood up, sitting on the table with her crossed on the chair. yunho looked up from his book, his eyes finding the hem of her skirt first, and then her face.
"is it necessary to sit like that? the chair is here for a reason." he told her flatly.
yunho didnt look away from the book, humming slightly. "the chair feels too constricting. theres a lot of space on the desk."
"thats not what its for."
"dont care."
yunho sighed and leaned forward, nearly pressing his face into his book as if the knowledge would sink into his brain faster. she was distracting him now, no one else sat like that, so why should she?
"you have a problem with being the centre of attention, huh?" yunho wondered.
"i dont," y/n said simply, not really paying attention.
"i think you do," yunho said, again with that tone of certainty. "its why you act like that."
"ive never had to do much to get attention," she answered, sounding cocky but she didnt care.
"i find that hard to believe," yunho muttered.
y/n shut her book and slid it against yunho's, making his book flip shut. he looked up at her with attitude.
"wasnt hard to get your attention, was it?" she mocked him, then stood up and bent down to grab her bag. "thanks for the read. i'll be back for it."
she walked away, too fast for him to respond yet again.
***
first meet (toji)
being a delinquent unfortunately came easy to y/n, she pissed off men with just her presence, and when she bested one of the most well-ranked earthbenders in class two, well karma made sure it wouldnt go unchecked.
all y/n did was beat him, without sorcery mind you, and apparently that sent the university rankings and online Portal into a fucking frenzy.
at first she heard it in passing. two guys who walked past her and gave her odd looks as she put things into her locker.
"hey, isnt that the no ranker that beat choi san?"
"honestly, if he lost to her then he doesnt deserve his rank, fucking hell. seriously?"
"shouldnt this get added as an update to the Portal? if a no ranker can beat choi san then what does that mean for the ranks below him?"
"what the fuck," y/n grumbled, slamming her locker shut. she had no idea if the guy spreading things was san himself or her classmates, it didnt make sense for it to be san because who'd brag about losing, or spread it? either way, this didnt bode well.
if someone with a rank lost to her and it meant something, then that meant they wouldnt just let it go.
"i dont fucking feel like dealing with this," y/n groaned under her breath. she wanted to go out for a smoke but the outside exist was three flights of stairs down. so she gave up and settled for a nap. she spotted the utility closet and it was unlocked. she put her bag down on the ground and used it as a pillow, falling asleep almost instantly.
when lunch started, san was in the cafeteria with the other guys from his class, and they werent giving him a break. he was sick of it.
"if you guys think i lost and that that should count on the Portal youre fucking morons," san snapped, stabbing his ramen. "hey, if im in another class meant to be used as a benchmark, then i cant give them my all cause then everyone would just lose. are you guys stupid?"
"but they said she walked you in hand to hand," wooyoung pointed out, looking at san over his glasses. "you didnt use magic."
"yeah cause she doesnt know how to use magic yet, are you deaf?" san scoffed.
"but that means youre worse at normal combat than her," mingi added his two cents. san was on the edge, he folded his hands infront of him and smiled tightly.
"think what you want," he sighed. "but when we fight for real, dont act surprised when you see how i switch up."
the guys all looked at each other with curious glances. meanwhile, y/n's wrist watch alarm went off in time for lunch. she yawned and picked up her bag, opening the door and making someone gasp suddenly.
when she turned her head, winter stood right next to the door, holding her heart as she looked at y/n.
y/n smiled. "oh hey, hows it going?"
"what are you doing in the closet y/n?" winter said with a slight chuckle. "you scared the shit out of me."
"nap time," y/n grinned. "its lunch now, right?"
"uh huh. i just got something from my locker, wanna walk to the cafeteria together?" winter offered. y/n was never more grateful.
"of course," she said with a nod.
when they started walking, the curiousity hung on the tip of winter's tongue and she wasnt swallowing it well. "so..." she started, looking at amara with narrowed eyes. "i heard some stuff about you."
"oh brother," y/n sighed, already knowing. "it wasnt that dramatic, trust. i dont know why people are talking about it, this shouldnt be news...this isnt high school."
"i never explained it to you, thats on me," winter said with a sigh. "but i didnt think i'd need to so soon, you looked really chill."
"what are you trying to say?"
"the people ranked on the Portal are the strongest people at west cape. theyre not just strong, theyre part of societies, and societies are a big deal once you graduate. theyre like a clan, a gang if you will. they receive benefits and everything once they join, and theyre very strict on their members. if you slack, if youre lazy, you'll get booted from the society and basically suffer at the hands of your ex society and the societies who rivalled yours," winter explained, making y/n's head spin.
"woah woah woah, im so chill on that," y/n scoffed
"choi san's part of the Yunjang society," winter said with a frown. "you embarrassed him, now people are gonna think his rank is fraudulent, and the ones ranked below him are gonna challenge him for his spot. if he loses, theres no telling what he'll do."
y/n gave her an incredulous look. "if he loses he should take a loss, thats how it works."
winter adjusted her glasses. "maybe out there. but not in here. you got unlucky i guess, you werent invisible for even a second."
"look, i dont want to deal with bullshit. how do i fix this?" y/n asked genuinely.
"i guess you could apologize..."
y/n stopped in her tracks. "for what? beating him? he was going to use magic on me knowing i cant do magic yet. he fucking lost cause he was shit."
winter paused in her tracks as well, her worried curved brows making her look at y/n pitifully. "if you apologize to san, he might save face or he.might lose it more because you'd be apologizing for beating him. it could piss him off."
y/n crossed her arms. "yeah, i'd be embarrassed if i got beat by someone and.they apologized later for beating me.too bad. and i didnt even beat him badly at all. i came.off as cocky afterward, i guess. but thats all i can apologize for."
"thats perfect! do that then," winter abetted. "theyre prob in the caf now, lets go. i'll go with you."
hopefully choi san was a.reasonable guy.
***
when y/n and winter got to the cafeteria, it didnt feel so intimidating, because y/n was completely unaware of all the eyes on her. they were subtle, gave her one glance and then looked away, but only did so just to make under-breath comments. san sat in the corner at Yunjang's unofficial designated table. he was now sitting on the surface, next to his bowl as he excited spoke about skiing. his passionate tangent was quickly interrupted and sunken by the motion of his fellow brothers eyes shifting from him to the girl steadily approaching behind him.
when san turned around and saw y/n, his day was ruined. he twisted his body to look straight at her, and her face was still the same as this morning. flat and bored. what the hell could she possibly want.
"hey," she said, clearing her throat. winter stood a few feet away, they didnt even look like they walked in together. "sorry to disturb your lunch. could i speak with you?"
mingi and wooyoung looked at each other with maxxed out curiousity. san on the other hand was appalled.
"what makes you think you can talk to me?" san asked with a raised brow. it made y/n's back muscles tense from holding herself back.
he was extra arrogant infront of his group. it was probably to compensate for how absolutely shit he was this morning. but y/n didnt care for his social standing, she just wanted to ensure he didnt rattle hers. so she gave in.
"i just wanted to apologize," she said, ignoring his probing tone. "i was cocky and had a bad attitude after your demonstration this morning. that wasnt very mature of me. i dont want us to have bad blood now that im joining your class."
"wow shes so sweet," mingi said behind san mockingly. "how can you not forgive her, sannie?"
"yeah, shes being the bigger person," wooyoung added with a snicker.
san's jaw was still clenched. see, to him, this didnt look like an apology. it looked like a cowards way out of reaping what she sowed. san thought she was just running away from being fodder in the second class.
but y/n put on an apologetic face, losing her nonchalance. she waited till san said something. he wiped his nose with his knuckles, then chuckled lowly.
"you know what? sure," he said, smiling. "it wasnt that deep. we're cool."
y/n didnt believe him, but she didnt wanna linger around this weird stench of masculinity anymore. she nodded and attempted a smile back, although it wasnt a big one. "alright, see you," she said and turned to walk back to winter.
san reached over the table and grabbed wooyoung's open strawberry yogurt, then launched it at y/n's head. it popped against her with a wet splat, the yogurt oozing off her hair like a sludge. y/n stopped in her tracks and froze, and the entire cafeteria dropped into pin silence watching the scene unfold.
san's laughter was humorless and derisive. "who the fuck do you think you are?" he said. "giving me that dogshit apology. you know what you signed up for when you acted tough back then, dont come back out now."
y/n touched her hair and felt its awful texture because of the yogurt. winter looked at her with wide eyes, shaking her head. "lets just go," she tried to say.
"are you fucking stupid?" y/n asked calmly. but her voice immediately escalated to a harsh scream. "do you know what this will fucking do to my hair you braindead fuck!"
y/n reached for the chair infront of her and flung it out with both hands at san, and he dodged it with a duck. he looked back at where it landed and then at her, his eyes going wide as if she dared to challenge him.
y/n looked at him enraged, ripping the yogurt cup from her hair and swatting it to the floor. her fists were clenched to her sides. did he think that she suffered through years of studying just to eat up some rich prick's bullshit at this academy?
"walk away before you get hurt," wooyoung called to her. y/n's eyes narrowed.
"shut the fuck up, you spectating asshole. no one asked you," she spat, still looking right at san. "you just gonna sit there, you pussy?"
san dared to laugh again and y/n charged first, her patience having reached a boiling point. san picked up his ramen bowl and was prepared to smash it into y/n's ear, but she was yanked back by her collar by another guy, tossing her across an empty table. she landed on her feet in confusion, but the guy was fast, behind her already and dragging her out of the caf while san and the others watched.
she was shoved against a locker far enough away, struggling with internal screams. the guy shoved her back and held her there with one hand, his bicep the first thing she noticed before his face. and when she looked up at his face she saw a man that was at least 29, with messy black hair and a black shirt that was too tight on him. amara couldnt focus on how hot he was unfortunately, she was bubbling with rage.
"who the fuck are you," she snarled. "and get your fucking hand off my tit."
the guy had a nerve to squeeze. "its not on your tit, thats just the top of it," he said, his voice raspy. he smoked a pack a day, she could tell. "and im not letting you go back there."
"you think you can tell me what to do?" y/n scoffed, trying to push his arm off but his grip was ridiculous. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?"
"i get paid to keep little brats like you at bay," he said. "using magic in fights here can lead to expulsion. you dont want that."
"i didnt use magic are you fucking blind too?" y/n hissed. the guy raised his brow, finding her sharp tongue amusing.
"man you got a mouth on you," he mocked. "doesnt mean you should run it."
she was getting irritated beyond repair now. she might actually kill someone today. winter came running down the hall, freezing when she saw the scene. "toji...let her go, please. its her first day, she didnt know the rules." winter pleaded.
"why the fuck are you begging this dickhead?" y/n snapped at winter, who put her finger to her lips to get y/n to shut up.
"first day, huh?" toji mused, looking at y/n to infuriate her further. "she shouldnt be having this much of an ego then. threw a chair just to miss."
"it wont happen again," winter said.
toji gave amara one last shove against the locker before removing his hand. "better not," he scoffed, then started walking off. y/n was about to charge at him but winter completely got in the way with her entire body.
"dont, toji's part of the disciplinary society," she quickly said. "he can get you fucked over massively."
y/n stopped herself and wiped her clothes, gritting her teeth. "so what, hes a fucking glorified security guard? give me a break."
"there are so many societies on campus, he makes sure that the rivalries stay controlled and that they dont kill each other," winter explained. "hes not just a security guard. hes an elite earthbender. hes not someone you can mess with, he can fight most people in these societies thats why they stay clear of him."
"dont care," y/n said with a clipped tone. "its over for that san fucker if i get him alone."
winter sighed. "im sorry, that was just such a bad idea. i shouldve known they'd be too spiteful to let it slide."
"there wasnt shit to let slide!" y/n burst out. "he fucking lost to me and couldnt take it so he whined like a little bitch. and i made him feel even more stupid when he couldnt walk properly. hes a fucking joke."
winter awkwardly pursed her lips inward. "you really do have a way with words."
y/n sighed, realizing she really needed to calm down. "i gotta go rinse my hair off. fucking hell, see ya."
y/n walked down the hall in defeat, flicking the yogurt onto the floor.
***
second meet (toji)
on her way to her locker, y/n's shoulder and nearly the rest of her collided with toji's imposing arms, and he nearly knocked her into the lockers. her bag flew off her shoulder and onto the ground and she huffed, glaring at him. toji smirked, a wry smile hung on his lips as he looked down at her. she picked up her bag with a quick swipe, then kept walking.
she didnt feel like dealing with this asshole right now. then, unfortunately for her, he started following her to her locker.
"do you need something?" she whipped around when she got to it. he leaned against the locker, narrowing his eyes at her.
"heard you got placed in class two," he drawled. "if you wanna make it around here, dont go picking fights with assholes like choi san and yunjang. no ones gonna help you, least of all me."
y/n gave him a disgusted look. "sorry, did i ever ask for your help?"
"you will," he said certainly. "everyone does when they mess with societies and cant back up for it. and youre a transfer, i know you dont know how to do magic yet. not a smart move on your part, kid."
"im turning twenty three," y/n corrected him coldly. "so dont refer to me as a kid, thank you."
"well, im older. so i'll refer to you however i like," toji mocked, cocking his head at her. "honestly, im not usually the type to do this, but i felt kinda bad for you yesterday. yogurt in your hair and all. i can help you fight yunjang, for a price."
y/n scoffed, crossing her arms. "and what price is that?"
"seven hundred, and i'll make sure he'll never catch you alone. i can hook you up on all the spots on campus they'll never find you," he wagered.
was she being...fucking bribed right now?
"i thought you dont help people," y/n questioned.
toji gave her an obvious look. "yeah, i dont help people for free."
then, it all hit her. and suddenly y/n started laughing. oh, and it was meant to scathe.
"i get it now," she smirked back, taking toji aback. "youre a fucking whore. you'll do anything for money."
toji comically narrowed his eyes. "well, yeah...but thats not what a whore really is," then his eyes turned challenging again. "but if you want me to be one, i can do that too. im just serious about my money."
"you dont get paid enough or something?" she mocked.
"i like horses," toji shrugged. "you have my offer though, think about it. all students do."
so he was running a scheme to get extra money out of people. everyone at this place was so fucking weird.
"no thanks," y/n said, putting back her last book and closing her locker with a quick slam. then she gave toji one last once over, god how did he look so good and he was so embarrasing? he had no shame either.
"brokie," she sneered at him and then walked away, with her bag swaying back and forth on her shoulders. toji chuckled to himself, watching her walk away, the silhouette of her hips swaying dancing on the shadows of the floor as she disappeared.
***
the collision
y/n was lucky, and that pissed most people off. the fact that her body was already hardened and conditioned for martial arts, meant that when it came to earthbending, once she scripted what she wanted to learn, her body was remember it easily. and few people had this same luck. it made them envious, especially when it came to ascending rank.
she just had to focus. her grandfather always told her sorcery came natural to her, it would be difficult for her to live without it for long. so she just had to find a quiet spot. y/n ended up leaving the building, finding a spot across the athletic field at a building that looked dry and deserted.
she wrote out the rest of her notes that she conceptualized.
causation: when i summon earth, my next action has to link with the harm i intend to cause. if i summon a slab of earth, will i punch it at my opponent to hit him in the face? or will i kick it?
since y/n was 80% legs, she was stronger with them and had good endurance. sometimes they felt like they were on fire when she fought with how the adrenaline coursed through them. hers notes were so clean and well structured that they were basically a spell on their own.
she stood up, looking at the athletic field stretched ahead of her. it was normal, flat soil with a layer of grass. y/n raised her hand, slowly motioning a chunk of earth to come with it.
with a clean exit, a sizable chunk lifted from the ground, the loose soil raining back down into the hole it left. y/n's breath was steady, and she realized it didnt even feel like she was doing it. it felt like the act of lifting something, without feeling fifty percent of its weight, but it still lived in your fingertips.
it wasnt difficult at all. she smirked, then remembered what she read in the book at the library.
return the earth to its place after manipulating it, do not exacerbate the source of magic.
y/n carefully returned it, then ran to the spot once it was flat to wipe away the cracks in the ground with her shoes.
she was proud, now that she knew she could summon the earth, she just needed to know what to do with it.
"im a martial artist first, not a sorcerer," she said to herself, assuredly. "better than anyone here. i'll use the earth like my gauntlet, and for my kicks, i'll use it like a punching bag. it has to swing at someone."
after thinking that hard, y/n pulled out a cigarette to take it easy. she took one long hard drag from her malboro gold, blowing out a satisfying puff. she almost moaned. the sun was strong today, so she went under the canopy of the building, leaning back as she watched the emptiness of the field and listened to the song of the birds.
when her cigarette was halfway done, it was plucked from her fingers and she jumped up, seeing toji walk out from around the building and look at her cigarette with disgust.
"these are terrible for you," he said, tossing it to the ground. y/n jumped at him to stop him, and he held her at bay yet again as he flattened it with his shoe.
"what the fuck!" she snapped, glaring at him again. "why the hell are you even here?"
"this is the sports building," he answered with a smile, satisfied to see her foaming with irritation. the smoke was still on her breath, she was breathing so hard its like she was trying to savour the last of it. "im the fitness coach."
y/n threw his hands downward, scowling. "youre kidding."
toji raised his brows, crossing his arms. everything from his chest, to arms immediately flexed under the flimsy weight of his shirt. poor shirt, holding on for dear life.
"you know anyone else fitter than me to do that?" he challenged. y/n cleaned her teeth.
"ugh, whatever. i dont care," she sighed. "i was just rid of you."
"you came to MY building," he said with a mocking laugh.
"i didnt know it was yours," she defended herself. "obviously i wouldve gone somewhere else where my cigarettes wouldnt be wasted. you could have at least smoked the rest of it."
toji narrowed his eyes at her. "i dont smoke. i like being strong."
she was taken aback by that. so he just...sounded that way? fucking hell.
y/n couldnt help but look at toji in his entirety. his build, his dark, cynical eyes, his wry smile and messy black hair. he probably made a fair amount if good women lose sleep. just....
her type.
"are you checking me out, kid?" toji laughed heartily, stepping forward and making her freeze, but she made no attempt to move back.
"assessing," she corrected, looking up at him. "i was assessing you."
"right. i dont think its me you should be assessing. i saw your little magic trick, good on you for summoning, but youre gonna need a little more than an easy trick that everyone in class two can do if you wanna survive your lesson today," toji told her. amara swallowed hard. he was right.
"theyre waiting for you," toji muttered, not even looking at her eyes anymore. y/n didnt want to follow where his gaze was dropping. "i can help you out here, but not in that class."
y/n wiped her face and turned away quickly. god, he was suffocating. "again, i never asked for your help. ive always figured things out by myself."
"oh yeah?" toji drawled with a lopsided grin. he kind of wanted to see her eat shit because she was so smartmouthed. just a little bit of humbling for all that apathy wrapped arrogance.
suddenly, an idea flashbanged in her brain, and she couldnt figure out if she was just being delusional or not. but since she learned so fast through her own conceptualization, since it all came so natural once it was her own words...
there was something she needed under her belt.
y/n suddenly faced toji again, and he was so close to her they were almost inches apart. she was forced to step back, making him laugh again. but this time she didnt pay him any mind.
"do you know jeong yunho?" she asked suddenly.
toji went quiet, narrowing his eyes as he pretended to think. "hmmm, uptight, glasses, nerdy little shit?"
y/n nodded eagerly. "yes! do you know where i can find him?"
it wasnt night time yet, yunho might not be at the library yet. she knew he wasnt there all day.
"i know where everyone is," toji boasted in a careless tone. "hes a third year earth mage."
"tell me where i can find him."
toji cocked his head. "in exchange for what?"
y/n looked at her watch and nearly screamed out of frustration. she had an hour.
"i'll fucking owe you," she quickly snapped, swallowing hard. "i'll give you anything you name, just give me his location immediately. he has something i need."
y/n realized she couldve just asked toji to teach it to her, but how would she learn fast enough without her own conceptualization? she needed to do this alone. toji teaching her would probably cost her more.
"i dont typically do favours on loan," toji said seriously. "but okay, i'll hold you to your word. is that right, y/n?"
that was the first time he said her actual name. fucking hell. y/n nodded quickly, nearly holding onto him from wanting to rush him.
"third years are on the sixth floor at the dorms. that nerdy little shit is the 19th door," toji said.
"thank you, fuck!" she quickly ran to pick her bag. toji watched her run, leaning against the pillar of the canopy. he didnt remind her again that she owed him. instead the curiousity of what she would do ate him up.
y/n sprinted across the field, all the way back to the dorms. her ascent up the six flights of stairs burnt her calves and the back of her thighs, but she refused to feel it. when she got to that 19th door, she prayed someone would open when she slammed her fist onto the doors face. when there was a brief pause, she hit the door harder.
then, the door opened up with an irritated swing.
"i told you to wai—" yunho's deadpan voice died out as he looked at her, in a pajama pants and shirtless. y/n took him in with one scan, pocketing that image for later. he had a nice body, but now was not the time. she forced entry, slamming the door behind her.
"yunho," she said breathlessly. "please, i need the earthquake book."
yunho gave her an incredulous look, his eyes going wide behind his silver frames. "are you insane? you ran all the way here for that? how did you find out where i was?"
"can i just explain that later?" she pleaded, pushing her hair back. yunho swallowed at the sight. "fuck, i really need it. im in shit."
"alright," he muttered, then bent down to get his bag. his arms flexed as he pulled it out and handed it to her. y/n grabbed it with both hands, falling to the soft grey mat that was infront of his bed, pulling her stationary out of her bag and her notebook.
then, she started conceptualizing.
1. convergent boundaries: force the plates against each other or force the one plate to drive underneath the other. like two co-offenders working together to commit mutual assault.
2. divergent boundaries: force the plates apart, they can go opposite ways, like tug of war on equal footing.
3. transform faults: slide the plates across each other, make it impossible to stand. equal force in opposite directions.
that was the only things she wanted to note. yunho stood over her, looking at her notes in poorly hidden amazement. when she shoved her book shut and forced it back into her bag, she checked the time. she had to get to the venue.
when she stood up, her arm grazed his stomach, the contact feeling electric. y/n looked up at yunho, chalking it up to her ever-increasing adrenaline. he didnt see it that way.
"what are you planning to do?" he asked her.
she sighed and handed him the book. "i have to be a mountain today," she said vaguely. "so im gonna show yunjang its hard to climb the peak."
"yunjang?" yunho repeated, his confusion only anticipating. "y/n—"
another man saying her name today. before she knew it, y/n would have a harem. and she wouldnt feel bad about it at all. she gave yunho one last look before walking to the door.
"thanks, i owe you," she told him, then swung out of the door. again, he barely got a word in. yunho only stared at the face of his door, his heart quietly racing as he stood with the book in his hand.
***
beating san, wooyoung and mingis ass
when y/n arrived at class two, the match ups were expected. she knew she'd be kicked from this class and dumped lord knows where if she failed to beat san today.
but when it came to the actual match up, it wasnt just san she had to beat. mingi and wooyoung offered themselves up too.
y/n didnt bother debating the fairness. who cares if it was unfair. in her brain, she ought to beat these guys even if they have double the amount of arms and legs as her. its what grandpa instilled in her anyways.
at the top of the colloseum, toji had just found his seat, leaning back with a greedy bucket of popcorn he just purchased. it was cheese and onion, and he put in a handfill as he watched everything on fold. time to see that brat either pull of a miracle, or get humbled.
he was fine with either outcome. as long as she remembered what he did for her.
y/n breathed hard, taking a ding bu stance. again, san had that look in his eyes where he was prepared now. but what would her next trick be? she couldnt simply fight her way out of this. toji leaned forward now, narrowing his eyes on her body dynamic.
mingi attacked first, summoning a wall about the height of y/n with an upward motion and then sliding it towards her with a hard punch. the sound of the butte rushing toward her was that of rocks being crushed together, and it moved fast. y/n launched out a side kick from ding bu, commanding that the earth block out the butte.
her earth collided with his, shattering into debris, she waved it away, then spun out a crescent kick, causing three slabs of slate to arise. y/n spun into three perfect kicks, her foot launching each slab at san, wooyoung and mingi.
wooyoung raised a wall to protect himself, san punched his slab down and mingi rolled underneath it. y/n took her breath, she envisioned this going differently. she envisioned san. but it was fine, because these attacks were not meant for just one person.
san ran, rock peeling from the ground and attaching itself to his fists like gauntlets. he jumped at y/n smashing the ground where she stood as she quickly rolled away, her body fast and agile like an ocelet. she returned to a low stance with her hands on the ground, watching the other two closely.
san was determined, drawing in the ground where she stood and sliding her towards him. she ended up right infront of him in her crouch, and as suyeom was about to stomp, y/n grabbed his thighs and swung through his legs, leaped up and jumped with both feet slamming into his back. san launched forward, and y/n put her hands to the ground, summoning the plates.
first, she moved san's plate close to hers. sending them in the same direction. convergence.
the ground shook as they collided, and y/n leaped into the air with her agility, driving her knee out and into sans face. he flipped inside out as the ground shook around them, y/n ending in a bridge stance to stay steady as san laid crooked and vibrating.
then, a slab came her way. y/n lifted her elbow to block it, and it smashed harder than she expected, knocking her back. when she got to her feet, she didnt give them a chance. they came running and she summoned the convergent plate on the fastest one—wooyoung. he approached steadfast, so the eruption was abrupt. the plate went under the other where wooyoung stood, and a crack in the ground forced him to fall in till his neck, and he cried out till his voice collapsed from the tight squeeze.
a boulder came rolling toward her, like a snowball effect but in reverse. y/n shot up a pillar from under her foot and let the boulder crash behind her, and she didnt think of a way down. so she kept bringing up pillars to catch her every step, shocking herself till she was on the ground. mingi had run himself in the other direction, and amara slammed her palms on the ground, causing another earthquake from transforming lines.
the plates rolled across, and he was falling in every direction and couldnt move. his legs turned to jelly, he shook on every step till he collapsed, completely defeated. y/n squeezed her palm shut, seizing all seismic waves in an abrupt halt.
toji sat with his popcorn falling out of his mouth. the entire class two had just witnessed something diabolical.
y/n...beat the yunjang crew.
"you can create earthquakes," master noted, flabbergasted. "then what are you doing in class two?"
"im not ready to be in class three," y/n quickly said, somehow, physically exhausted.
"who taught you that? that is not for your level," master said in denial.
y/n knew. yunho told her. she shrugged and gave an exhausted smile.
"im a fast learner."
"do you know class two fundamentals? you did none of them," master said. how could she move onto those kinds of moves with no foundation?
"i dont know any, thats what im here to learn," y/n said.
san sat up with a pained groan, feeling the throbbing and blood in his mouth from her knee strike. he was lucky he still had teeth. the Portal was already updating.
y/ns name had gotten uploaded, along with her picture of her sweaty, exhausted self after destroying yunjang. next to her rank, well
someone had put a question mark. with a fair note.
dont know where to place her because she knows class three power ups but no class one or class two fundamentals. but she beat san, woo and mingim so shes above them.
the comments flooded in. people were making assumptions. some said she had to be getting extra help. perhaps she had a secret mentor who was helping her...but then why would she not fill in the gaps and make a cleaner fight with all the fundamentals she knew?
they were left with more questions. toji opened his phone and saw a new player had been added to Portal. he looked at his balance, wondering if he could put money on y/n for the people above her. he gave a crooked smile, then closed his phone.
"not yet, kid," he muttered to himself. "cant rely on you just yet."
it was all agreed upon that that day, yunjang were washed. they descended in rank, but stayed where they dropped because the lowerbies still couldnt beat them. their rage from being beaten simmered, and they werent over it just yet. but for now, they would leave y/n alone.